3 wild amusement parks in Canada

03.25.2015

TopicCanadian Travel

Although your yard may currently be covered with snow, warm weather will return before you know it. If you don't get your fill of adventure travel this winter at mountain resorts, spend the next few months planning your trip to one of Canada's top amusement parks.

Emergency medical insurance might be necessary for this vacation, considering the jaw-dropping and heart-stopping rides you can experience around the country. Check out these three impressive parks.

1. Calaway Park
The largest amusement park in western Canada, Calaway Park is both an amusement park and a campground. It's located in Calgary, Alberta, and offers more than 30 rides for visitors of all ages. Between fine restaurants, food stands and game booths, there's something for everyone at Calaway Park. According to the park's website, you're welcome to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy with your travel companions.

Rollercoaster fans should line up for the Vortex, which has plenty of corkscrew turns and upside down portions to keep you whirling. The Storm is another ride for adventure-seekers, as it spins you around and around while you hang on for dear life. Kids can enjoy the Mini Express, a little rollercoaster, or the Samba Spin, a circular ride that allows you to control the height of your car. Don't miss the Dream Machine - Calaway's massive swings - or Dodgem - bumper cars for adults who are kids at heart.

2. Canada's Wonderland
North of Toronto, in Vaughan, Ontario, is Canada's Wonderland. It won a TripAdvisor traveller's Choice Award in 2014 for its attractions and was highlighted by the Toronto Sun as a top Canadian park. People who reviewed the park on TripAdvisor praised its variety of rides and friendly staff.

The park's website explained how there are rides for kids of all ages, a water park, an interactive animatronic dinosaur park and live entertainment at Canada's Wonderland. If rollercoasters are your thing, check out Wonder Mountain's Guardian. This brand new ride mixes 3-D animation with an interactive gaming experience to give you the coaster experience of a lifetime. You can also find Canada's longest wooden coaster - Leviathan - here at Wonderland, in addition to a handful of rides labelled "aggressive thrill." The children's areas feature more age-appropriate rides, like Snoopy's Space Race and Woodstock Whirlybirds. Dinosaurs Alive! is where you can travel back to the beginning of time, when dinosaurs walked the earth. Between life-size dinosaurs, recreated fossil scenes and the educational aspect, it's the perfect place to spend an hour in the afternoon.

3. Galaxyland
You don't want to wait for winter to pass for Galaxyland in Edmonton, Alberta. Deemed the world's largest indoor amusement park by Travel Alberta, the park itself was formerly known as Fantasyland. It's located inside the West Edmonton Mall, so there's plenty else to explore if amusement parks don't interest someone in your group. Since the rides and adventure are sheltered from the elements, you can visit Galaxyland all year round.

According to Travel Alberta, you'll find 24 rides, a zipline and a water park with 17 slides within Galaxyland. There's also a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship The Santa Maria for kids to mount. The rides are ranked as beginner, intermediate or advanced. Beginner rides include the carousel, bumper cars, balloon races and the Kiddie Convoy. Head to the intermediate rides if you want to find out what the Cosmic Spinner, Cosmic Revolution and cosmic bounce are all about. Thrill-seekers can board the galaxy orbiter, sonic twister or the Mindbender - a wacky and speedy coaster.

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